Molecular Genetics of Tumors of the Central Nervous System

1985 marked the first reporting of a specific gene alteration in a human central nervous system (CNS) tumor: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene amplification in glioblastoma ( 43 ). Since that time, a relatively short period by most standards, neuro-oncology research has revealed many genetic abnormalities that indicate consistent genotype-phenotype associations for the various cancers that are collectively referred to as CNS tumors. This chapter reviews the established CNS tumor genotype associations, and discusses resulting molecular biologic consequences as well as the clinical implications of these genetic alterations. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.